Change is the Constant
by OnceABlueMoon
Summary: 'Shisui catches a glimpse of green eyes, and his heart stands still. Was that-' New world or not, he would recognise Itachi anywhere.
1. Chapter 1: The train

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter and Naruto.

 **Chapter one: The train**

Platform nine and three-quarters tends to be terribly busy on September the first. Smoke curls through the air. The weather is surprisingly nice today, but there's no bird to hear over the tears of children and parents separating and the wailing of younger siblings wanting to go too.

Shisui sighs, closes his eyes and presses forehead against the cool glass. He can feel his breath fog on the window. This is the fourth time he's gotten onto this train in order to get to Hogwarts, and he wonders if he will ever get used to it. He likes sitting alone during the journey- the flurry of his friends and their troubles can come later. He enjoys the peace of an empty compartment and the rocking movement the wheels on the rails create.

At the sound of his compartment door sliding open, Shisui cracks an eye open, peering in the direction it came from. There's a boy in the door opening. He's small and scrawny, all pale skin, clothes too big for his frame and messy black hair. He startles a little when he sees Shisui, but shuffles inside quickly, to let two rather lanky red-haired boys through.

Shisui catches a glimpse of green eyes, and his heart stands still.

Was that-

The boys seem to be talking about something, but Shisui can't hear it over his suddenly extremely loud heartbeat, that fills his ears and shakes his body. His breath catches in his throat.

Is it- No. It can't be.

Shisui quickly grabs his bag and picks up his notebook. He forgets that the dip pen is attached to its side, though, and hisses when the sharp point cuts his finger. Damn it - the small cuts are always the meanest.

Cursing quietly, he fishes an Elastoplast out of his bag, but it's hard to get the backing off with one hand.

''Do… Do you need any help?''

Shisui jumps slightly and stares.

The boy is in front of him, biting his lip, brow furrowed. Hesitantly, he reaches for the Elastoplast and when Shisui makes no move to stop him, he takes it. The boy takes off the backing and looks at Shisui, shifting uncomfortably, before realising that Shisui, for all his ninja skills, most likely can't put the bandage on without smearing it with blood.

Shisui holds out his finger. Quietly, the boy sticks the plaster on, bright green eyes focused on the wound.

The boy's hand lingers on his, and Shisui can't help but remember pale fingers gently wrapping bandages around injuries much more serious than this. The gaze that accompanied it had always been a thing Shisui could physically _feel_ , and he wonders if he's imagining it- have his senses finally decided to deceive him, instead of others?

He clasps the boy's hand, the bony thing almost disappears in-between his far larger ones. Green eyes widen behind glasses held together by tape, and Shisui smiles gently. There's so much innocence there, even if the boy tenses slightly at the touch. A glimpse of intelligence that the kid is unable to bury beneath uncertainty and a skittishness that make Shisui's chest feel too tight.

''Thank you,'' he spoke.

He can see the hesitation in the way the boy moves, but the child shakily puts a hand on top of his, and gives him a smile. It's shy and small, and there's a bit of _hope_ in there.

''No problem,'' the boy mumbles. ''I just wanted to make sure you were alright.''

''I'm okay now,'' Shisui says with a lump in his throat, but for the first time in forever, he means it.

He's okay. Because he is sure now. He knows those eyes, he knows this boy.

New world or not, he would recognise Itachi anywhere. And this time? This time, he sure as hell isn't letting go.

''I'm Shisui!''

* * *

When Harry's name is called out during the sorting ceremony, Shisui almost chokes on his own spit when he hears ''Potter''. He grabs his glass and begins gulping down pumpkin juice in order to stop coughing, and stares at the child on the little stool in front of the hall.

The boy who lived.

Shisui can feel a headache coming up. _Damn it, Itachi!_

But Harry grips the stool so tightly that his knuckles turn white, and the hat is so big that it covers his eyes and ears. His face is white as a sheet, and Shisui can feel his nerves like they are his own.

He knows that this Itachi truly is a child. A scared little boy in a world he doesn't know at all. And he remembers how his cousin used to be. Less open, but this Itachi has never had any kind of shinobi training and has no need to put up a façade. He's young and untainted by the horrors of war.

The hat shouts ''GRYFFINDOR!'', and the entire hall is cheering. Shisui can hear someone yelling: ''We got Potter, we got Potter!'' somewhere further down the table, but he doesn't care. His eyes are on one person only. Harry scrambles of the stool and hurries towards the Gryffindors- his gaze gliding over the people, searching for a familiar face. When Harry notices him, Shisui pats the empty space beside him.

And as Harry climbs into the seat, a breath-taking smile on his face, Shisui makes another vow. This time, he'll live.

For Itachi.

* * *

'' _Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix.''_

 _Christina Baldwin_

* * *

 **Authors note**

First off, I'd like to thank Shadowblayze for allowing me to use their plotbunny! This was the exact idea she posted on Tumblr:

"Uchiha Shisui had grown accustomed to his new world's strange ideals, so it really doesn't surprise him when he finds out about Hogwarts.

Shinobi were myths to most of the civilians back home, too.

However, just because he'd voluntarily sacrificed himself in order to try to prevent a civil war the first time around doesn't mean he's all that excited to do so again. Especially for a group of people he feels no sense of responsibility towards- and, quite frankly, he doesn't like much.

Seriously. The propaganda agenda behind the idea of the 'Boy-Who-Lived' nearly makes him want to hurl.

But just when he thinks he's got a plan lined out- after he's settled into his comfy train compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express- the door opens.

New world or not, he'd recognize Itachi anywhere.

Dammit.''

Check her out on Tumblr and ff net! She writes great fics!

Also thanks to I.W.P.- chan (also on Tumblr and ff net, and she has these AMAZING KHR fics!) who got me totally hooked on her Tumblr even though I don't even have an account (she made me YOI trash, people. Love her). I got onto Shadowblayze's Tumblr page via a reblog from her.

I had a lot of fun writing this! I'm marking it complete for now, but I still have a few ideas for some scenes, so I might add another chapter at a later date! Also, Shisui uses a dip pen instead of a quill, because I do not believe that after a life time of either using hand signs or weapons made of metal, Shisui would feel secure with only a wand on him- even if a dip pen on its own isn't exactly lethal either.

I hope you enjoyed it, and constructive criticism is always welcome!


	2. Chapter 2: Osaka Kagami

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter and Naruto.

 **Chapter 2: Osaka Kagami**

''Kaa-san,''

''Not now, Kagami.'' His mother said as she threw the red peppers into the pan, and a delicious smell spread through the kitchen. It was hot in front of the stove and she wiped the sweat off her brow with her sleeve. This recipe didn't take that long, fortunately. Just ten minutes more and she could go set the table- wait, maybe she should check up on-

She caught a glimpse of steel reflecting light in the corner of her eye. She turned around and gasped.

''Osaka Kagami,'' she exclaimed, hands on her hips. ''You know very well that you are not allowed to touch the kitchen knives! Put that thing back this instant, and for kami's sake, get off that chair!''

Kagami pouted, and let his hands linger on the knife a few moments more, but quickly let it go when his mother glared at him once again.

He'd better!

Osaka Natsumi knew very well how to handle her seven-year-old, but that love of his for sharp things… It had to go. Far too dangerous.

And if her husband said: ''It's just a phase, honey,'' one more time, she'd let _him_ see the end of her kitchen knives.

* * *

''I'm sorry, Kagami, but I'm afraid that we haven't been able to find any family,'' the lady said, crouching in front of his chair. She was the kind of woman who wore a business suit, always had her hair up and wore a smile that was just a bit too nice to be genuine.

Kagami didn't like her.

''You will probably go into foster care.''

He didn't like her at all. His mother would-

He let his gaze wander. The floor was linoleum- smooth, and not a single hair out of place. There was little furniture in the room, and the fluorescent light made any colour in the room flat. He could feel the cold steel of his chair through his trousers. The only natural light came through a little window high on the wall. There were bars in front of it- this was a police station, after all.

'…don't worry, we'll find someone and…''

His father would have hated this place- but his mother would have kicked him in the butt. She often did that, when his father was being a coward. ''There's no room for jellyfishes in my house!'' His mother always said.

He wondered if she'd still be saying it if he'd prevented the accident. It had all gone so suddenly, a crash and a bang, and it was over. But… maybe if he'd used a jutsu, they'd still be alive.

He bit his lip, before his eyes widened just a fraction, as he'd realised what he just thought. Jutsu? Did he know that word? No. He was quite sure he didn't. Maybe he'd heard it in a commercial? Nah- he never watched that much TV.

But where did he learn it from then?

''…it will take some time, but I'm sure that…''

He wanted the lady to shut up. He needed to concentrate! His frown deepened, and his lips pursed. He wanted to know! His parents were dead, he hated the lady, the police station wasn't cool at all and HE WANTED TO KNOW!

Something inside of him sparked, like the first spark that got an engine working. The cogwheels of his mechanism began to move. He could almost hear it whirring, the rick-a-tick-a-tick of the rotation. And slowly, like an old movie projector, it began to work.

Shisui woke up.

* * *

 _..._

 _Osaka's burst of accidental magic alerted several Ministry sensors (All Police stations must at least be within fifty-meter radius of a magical sensor, as article no. 345 ((Anti-Muggle abuse law)) states). He was promptly arrested by the Auror corps, who took him into custody on grounds of unlawful polyjuice potion use. When it turned out that Osaka was, in fact, a child, we confirmed him to be a Muggleborn, though the effects of his accidental magic remain unknown. According to article no. 464 (Adoption law) any orphan of magical origins not in possession of blood-relations, godparents or otherwise legal guardians, must be admitted into a magical orphanage. As his parents had suffered a car accident the night before, Kagami Osaka was confirmed to be subject to this law._

 _Signed,_

 _Madam Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Departement Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic_.

* * *

 **Authors note**

Thanks to I.W.P.-chan for helping me out by reading this in advance to make sure it was understandable!

Also, on the name of Shisui's reincarnation, I named him Kagami Osaka for a reason. You'll notice that his mother called him

Osaka Kagami instead of Kagami Osaka. This is because they're a Japanese family who moved to England for his parents work. As many of you probably already know, in Japan the family name is said first, and the given name second. Amelia Bones calls him Kagami Osaka because she's English, and in England you say the names the other way around.

As for Kagami's given name being the same as his Uchiha ancestor from his previous life, well, I believe Shisui is the kind of man who would both suffer from and laugh at the irony.

After his awakening, Shisui goes by Shisui Osaka - using Kagami as a second name.

I wrote this chapter because I wanted to prevent inconsistencies later in the story. I posted it as the second chapter because I thought the first chapter probably wasn't entirely clear on how exactly Shisui was in the HP world, and why Itachi was Harry Potter and didn't remember Shisui at all.

I hope you enjoyed it, and constructive criticism is always welcome!


	3. Chapter 3: Duel at Midnight

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto and Harry Potter.

 **Chapter 3: Duel at Midnight**

''Shisui, your little shadow is here again.'' Charlotte sang into his ear.

Ouch! When had he gotten so accustomed to her presence that he didn't register her as a threat when he was snoozing? Because a voice that high pitched was clearly a danger to his ability to hear.

Still, if she thought she had gotten the drop on him, she was wrong.

Shisui flicks her forehead without opening his eyes. Locating her wasn't even all that hard. Her breathing was a dead giveaway.

''Ouch!'' She scrambles backward. ''What did you have to do that for?!''

Shisui grins at her. He definitely got why Itachi used to do that to Sasuke all the time! Speaking of Itachi- Shisui squints. The sun is bright, and it's hard to look around. Maybe it would have been better if he had decided to sit in the shade of the tree, but in that case, the slight breeze would have been blocked. And the wind certainly brings more relief from the heat than the shadows do.

Ah- there he is!

Harry is standing on the path in front of the greenhouses. There's a red-headed boy next to him, about the same age as Harry himself, chattering away while tucking his protective gloves into his schoolbag. Harry isn't paying attention to him at all- He's gazing in Shisui's direction.

The first years eyes wide when he sees Shisui beaming at him, but before he can look away, Shisui waves. ''Yo, Harry! Come introduce your friend!''

Several pupils on their way back to the castle turn around to see what the ruckus is all about, and even from this distance, Shisui can see that Harry is turning bright red. The boy next to him adopts a similar color, which clashes horribly with his hair.

''You,'' Lillian says while watching the boys hurry down the hill to reach them- and to escape the attention of their classmates as quickly as possible- ''are a terrible boy sometimes, Sui.''

Charlotte smears sunblock over her arms (''The spell is awful! It gives me rash, Sui, rash!'') and nods enthusiastically. ''Hear, hear! I'm not the only one who thinks so! Support! I knew there was a reason I still hang out with you, Lills!''

Shisui wrinkles his nose at the scent of the sunblock- it's something flowery and chemical that hurts his sense of smell.

Lillian opens her mouth, no doubt to deliver a painful comeback, but Harry and the boy reach the foot of the hill, so she slowly shuts her mouth again.

A shame, really. Their antics are always so delightfully amusing.

The boys shuffle a bit, their robes creased and stained with dirt and what must be plant fluid, but it's hard to discern what kind of stains they are because of the black fabric.

Shisui smiles at the first years and pats the ground next to him. ''Sit down! I want to hear all about your day! And I see you've made a new friend!''

There is something precious about the way Harry nods, a shy smile on his face. And later, when Charlotte teases Harry for looking up to Shisui so much, the fourth year just laughs, puts his arms behind his head and leans back against the tree. ''Well, I've always wanted a little brother!''

The look of wonder on Harry's face warms his heart.

* * *

It worries him, though, how quickly the boy became so attached to him. The kid adores the positive attention just a little bit too much and- ignoring all the jokes - Shisui's not blind. He isn't stupid enough to think that the way the boy tends to flinch at loud sounds and small, everyday touches came out of nowhere.

The source must be dealt with, of course, but only when the times comes. For now, Harry is safe at Hogwarts, and he needs Shisui's help first.

Anything for his cousin.

* * *

Shisui is practically flying through the hall, heavy book bag thumping against his side. It's late- would he even be in time for dessert?

He skids around the corner and goes straight into the Great Hall. His eyes sweep along the Gryffindor table.

Ah! There- Charlotte has been thoughtful enough to leave an empty seat in-between her and Oliver Wood.

On second thought- she probably did it out of self-interest, if the stink eye she's giving him is any indication. Then again, Wood does seem unusually enthusiastic, swinging his spoon around like he's going to poke someone's eye out. Shisui ducks and swings his legs over the bench.

His stomach growls, so he quickly begins to pile food onto his plate. Damn- the eggs are already gone. Oh well, there will be more in the morning.

He really hates it when professors hold him back after class. Not to mention that it didn't make sense- didn't they want to eat too?

Nutrition is important!

When he grabs his pumpkin juice, he sees a head full of shaggy black hair out of the corner of his eyes.

Oh, Harry.

Shisui should really- wait, that kid with the blonde hair and the Slytherin tie? Isn't he the son of that Death Eater politician? Hmm… He's sure that Harry mentioned his name at some point. What was it again? Drake Malfoy? Or was it Draco?

…

He really should have done his research by now. That's going to have to be a library visit tomorrow!

The boys catch his eye again- one of the big ones, surprisingly burly for a first year, cracks his knuckles. Shisui strains his ears.

''… anytime on my own. Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only- no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?''

Ron wheels around and humps, clenching his fists while glowering at the blonde ferret (not a good description- ferrets always remind Shisui of Itachi. Then again, crows have always suited his cousin much better than his actual namesake).

''Of course he has! I'm his second, who's yours?''

Shisui feels like face-palming. Or laughing, that's good too. Definitely laughing. What were they going to do? Send sparks at each other? They wouldn't even be able to manage proper fire sparks at this point! It would simply be a sparkling illusion of light. Too small to be considered a weapon to blind the opponent with. It could only be useful in a combat situation as a small distraction at the most.

What's more worrying than the duel itself, actually, is that they are planning to go out at night. And Shisui knows all too well that the empty corridors and gaping rooms of Hogwarts are definitely not a safe place to be when the last light of day has gone.

But some lessons have to be learned the hard way. If Shisui stopped them, they would never know just how dangerous it actually was.

He wouldn't say a thing.

* * *

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville scramble through the portrait hole and collapse into the armchairs by the hearth.

The flames flicker, crackling softly. Only that and the panting breath of the children breaks the silence. Slumped in their chairs, their breathing begins to slow.

''What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?'' Ron asks while tiredly pushing his sweat drenched hair off his forehead.

''What I'd like to know,'' A voice sounds out of nowhere, ''Is why you thought it was a good idea to go traipsing around at night.''

The children jump, eyes as big as saucers, frantically searching for the person who said those words.

With a gasp, Harry finally notices where the voice came from. There, in the high backed wingchair directly across of them, sits Shisui Osaka.

That Harry hadn't seen him before puzzles him- the room might be dimly lit, but Shisui is just as close to the fire as they are. Not to mention that he definitely doesn't blend in with the burgundy chair he's sitting on. His black hair, turtleneck, and dark blue jeans should have been a clearly visible, even in the dark.

Hermione is the first to recover. ''I only went after them in order to stop them!'' she says quickly. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry can see Ron sticking his tongue out to her.

Shisui sighs.

There's a lump in Harry's throat. This is it. Shisui's disappointed in him and will turn away. The older boy is surely going to tell the teachers, which means that Harry will be expelled and sent back to the Dursley's. He can already see aunt Petunia's sneer, hear his uncles shouting and his cousin's taunts. He will be perfectly normal again, not a single trace of magic anywhere in his life. And worst of all, he will never see Ron again.

He'll be back in the cupboard- in the company of only the spiders.

Harry feels like crying.

''It's dangerous in the school sometimes. That's no problem in the most cases, but you are first years! You don't have a clue, let alone the power, to protect yourselves from any kind of magical threat. I'm not even sure if any of you are able to handle yourselves in a physical fight! Do you even know how to throw a punch?''

''No,'' Neville's voice is small. He's trembling and his face has been drained of all color.

Shisui shakes his head and opens his mouth. Harry's tight grip on the chair is turning his knuckles white. Now. Now, the fourth year is going to say that he doesn't want anything to do with him anymore. Harry is sure of it.

'''Tomorrow, at dawn,''

Oh, he's going to say that they're going to be expelled first?

''You'll begin with running half a lap around the lake.''

Yes, running hom- wait, what?

The children gape at the fourth year.

''You aren't going to tell the professors?'' Ron asks with big eyes.

Shisui shakes his head. ''No, I'm not. If you want to go wander around in the castle at night, that's your choice. I'm not going to stop you. But I'm putting two conditions on that, and I am warning you only once. One: If you get caught, get better at sneaking around. Two: Be able to defend yourself. Sneaking skills don't pay off if they mean they only find your skeleton in the closet two years after you've gone missing.'' He taps his watch. ''It's late. To bed with you, I'll wake you early enough tomorrow morning for your first day of basic training. Hermione, I'll ask a friend of mine to wake you up, as I can't exactly go into the girl's dormitory.''

* * *

A few minutes later, Harry is staring at the ceiling of his four poster bed.

He still can't believe it. Shisui's letting them off with only some running.

He… Shisui… Shisui isn't abandoning him.

He clutches the duvet to his chest, a warm feeling spreading through his body.

There might just be someone other than Ron who cares about him. It's a big thing. It's okay to be happy about that. He burrows deeper into his blankets, a smile on his face.

His dreams are sweet that night.

* * *

 **Authors note**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

There were a few direct quotes from the book in this chapter (the sentences about the duel in the scene with Malfoy and the first sentence Ron says in the common room scene).

I want to thank Shadowblayze a thousand times! She really helped me out a lot! I was stuck on some of the points where I knew Shisui would definitely notice certain things, as a shinobi, but I had no idea how he'd react to them. We had this really interesting discussion about the possibilities and why Shisui would react in certain ways.

Also, thanks to I.W.P.-chan, Shisui's characterization was saved. Initially, I struggled a lot with how the serious shinobi part of his personality and the good-natured best friend\cousin part would go together. She helped me out by reminding me that it's simply the side that the situation needs that comes out.

This chapter sticks pretty closely to the canon storyline, but that will change in future chapters. I won't rehash the entire book with the only difference being Shisui's presence- that would be boring. The seed for some of the big changes was in fact planted in this chapter.

Shisui's interruption in the scene in which the four children are back in the common room means that Hermione never says that the dog was standing on a trap door- as such, the whole trying to get a clue from Hagrid won't ensue, which stops a large chain of events that happen in canon.

I hope you enjoyed it, and constructive criticism is always welcome!


	4. Chapter 4: The Taskmaster

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto and Harry Potter.

 **Chapter 4: The Quidditch nut and the Taskmaster**

''Good morning, my sweet little cinnamon roll!''

The curtains are thrown aside and light streams into Hermione's eyes.

Huh- what?

What's going on?

Sleepily, she sits up, rubbing her eyes. The cold draft hits her bare forearms and she shivers. The air in the castle tends to get awfully frigid at night. It reminds her of camping with her parents, actually. She loves it when they go camping, but really, she doesn't need the shock of the warmth leaving her the instant she crawls out of her sleeping bag _every_ day.

Who opened the curtains anyway? The other girls wouldn't have woken her up- Hermione wasn't good at making friends. Not even now she was finally in a place where she seemed to belong. Was it childish to cling to magic?

She rubs her eyes once again, before shaking the thoughts from her head.

In front of her are two girls, older than her by at least two years. One of them, the one who must have spoken before, is jumping around excitedly, brown ponytail bouncing up and down. The second girl is still braiding her blonde hair while watching the brunette. She's already exhausted if that expression is anything to go by.

The brunette beams at Hermione, putting her hands on her hips, legs apart. ''Shisui asked us to wake you up! I'm Charlotte and grumpy over there is Lillian!''

The blonde, Lillian, sighs at the chirpy attitude. ''Please dress quickly so we'll be able to get going.''

Hermione wants to say something- protest, actually. Shisui might have recognized that she was not involved with the incident (well, she thinks he did. She's not entirely sure if he ever said those exact words. It seemed like that was what he meant, mind you, and her guesses are rarely wrong), but he said the school was dangerous. And while it's nice that there's an older student is taking responsibility for them, Hermione believes he might not know what he's talking about. Because really, nowhere in _Hogwarts: A History_ is any mention of the school being a dangerous place at night. Sure, last night it w _as_ dangerous, with that dreadful three-headed dog, but then again, Dumbledore had warned them that their lives would be in danger if they were to enter the third floor.

…

All right, she does have some doubts about the school management, but she's certain it simply must be the cultural differences. All the more reason to study up some more!

She finishes dressing and trails after the older girls. She attempts to close the door without making too much noise. It's unlikely that her roommates would wake up from something like that when the brunette's greeting didn't, but still. She doesn't want them to dislike her any more.

She's sick of sitting alone.

Maybe that's why she doesn't protest about the running, even though she wants too. She doesn't mean to push the other children away, she really doesn't. But she's intelligent and she knows it, and can't stand stupid remarks. And correcting them always seems so nice and helpful. At least, until they get mad and she realizes that she opened her big mouth again and said something she shouldn't have.

She bites her lip and looks at the gray stones of the corridor floor. Charlotte is walking in front of her. Hermione frowns. The older girl only wearing a singlet, running shorts and shoes. Her bare arms and legs, completely covered in freckles, are in plain sight.

''Aren't you cold?''

Lillian turns her head and gives Hermione a long-suffering nod. ''She pretends she isn't.''

Charlotte scowls at her, which only seems to spur Lillian on to talk more, despite her constant yawning. ''When Sui took us to the Muggle part of London in the summer before our second year, we went to see a movie. She didn't even like it all that much. But her family disapproved and Char _does_ like contradicting every word that leaves her father's mouth. So now she's flaunting copious amounts of skin for our culture's standards and wearing Muggle clothing whenever she can, the spoiled little princess.''

Charlotte pouts and crosses her arms, pointedly looking at Lillian's own robes. They look only a fraction lighter than the normal school uniform. ''Not like you're in a better situation, miss Sweat-To-Death.''

Lillian waves it away. ''Majority counts.''

Charlotte pouts again, but doesn't start anything. Hermione thinks she's not really feeling like having an argument at six a.m. either, despite her upbeat attitude.

Hermione's still not entirely sure what she's doing here, but when Lillian pats her on the head and keeps walking next to her, she can't help but think: I'll protest later.

* * *

''Be careful when you stretch, you don't want to pull anything,'' Shisui peers at the boys from underneath his arms, his T-shirt sleeves getting in the way. It's hard to see them while touching his toes- especially when sitting on the grass, but that was to be expected.

At least he hadn't decided to teach them the stretching exercises on the path in front of the school instead of next to the lake. That would've been a lot less soft on the bottom. He'll take the grass tickling his calves over scrapes any day.

''I don't even get why we're doing this!'' Ron groans, making grabby hands towards his feet, tongue sticking out of his mouth, but unable to reach them.

''Because,'' someone snaps at Ron behind Shisui's back, making the red head jump slightly, ''Warming up before sporting prevents injury and increases your performance!''

Decisively, Hermione sits down and begins to stretch.

Shisui chuckles. Such a pitch-perfect textbook answer! That girl is going to be a terrifying woman one day! And apparently she already knows how to stretch too- Her form is good.

Ron sticks out his tongue at her as Charlotte plops down on one side of Hermione and Lillian gracefully lowers herself to the ground on the other.

Hermione huffs. Shisui feels like he's the cat that's got the canary- because really? This is even more entertainment than Lills and Char whenever they can't get into the kitchens because the Hufflepuff's charmed the secret door again (never believe the Slytherin's are the bad guys. They might be ambitious and ruthless at times, but at least they don't try to monopolize food outside of the meal times. Shisui knows what's up).

''Why do you have to be so immat-''

''Hey, Harry! Great that you're here! And of your own initiative too! Hear that, guys? I told you he would become the best seeker ever! Natural talent and hard-working!''

The Gryffindor Quidditch team is jogging towards them, decked out in red and gold Quidditch gear. Wood, as always, is leading the troupe. His teammates yawn, but humor him by not saying anything.

Wood arrives and hits Harry on the back, beaming at him. Harry turns beet red and shies away, fidgeting with his shirt. Shisui is really going to have to do something about that. It's also obvious the boy wants to protest Wood's statement, but a quick glance sideways at Hermione, Ron and Neville seems to change his mind. The loyalty is adorable- it's great to see him actually getting along with his peers this time around! With the exception of Shisui himself in Harry's previous life, of course.

He stands up and dusts his knees off, before clasping hands with Wood, a broad grin taking over his face.

''I was thinking we'd let the first years run about half a lap. That will get them started nicely, without pushing them too much. Hmmm… What were you planning to do with Harry's training schedule? How heavy is the exercise going to be? I don't want to exhaust them.''

''I didn't know they were friends,'' Ron whispers, leaning into Harry.

''They're both mad,'' Charlotte mutters underneath her breath as she adjusts the strap of her singlet, ''The Quidditch nut and the taskmaster. The crazies always band together.''

''What does that say about you?'' Lillian asks over her shoulder as she stands up. ''I mean, you've accused me of being a nutjob more than once too, but you're still here.''

Charlotte gasps and splutters, but doesn't come up with a comeback.

Shisui claps in his hands. ''Time to get going, ladies!''

Ron grumbles at that, but follows anyway. ''Oh, come on!'' Hermione retorts, ''It's not that bad!''

Shisui walks in front of them and can't help but laugh a little.

This is going to be fun!

* * *

Scratch that, it's awful and Hermione should definitely have protested _before_ Shisui Osaka had turned into a slave driver!

Sweat is running down her face, drenching her sports clothing and making her feel awfully hot. Her hair sticks to her face, she's out of breath and she is having a stitch.

This simply can't be healthy!

( _Actually_ , her brain says, and Hermione suddenly has the urge to hit herself up the head. Just because she knows that this is good for her body in the long run doesn't mean that she has to _like_ it, mind you).

Why ever had she thought that half a lap around the lake was not far? It was a monstrous distance!

Huffing and puffing, she pushed on. Her legs were aching _._

Oh, god! They were going to have to walk back when they finished!

Was this torture _never_ going to end?!

* * *

Shisui couldn't help but grin at the sight of the sweating first years. Such a delight to be the evil taskmaster! Why hadn't he ever considered teaching genin in his past life? Seriously, he had been missing out!

Then again, better late than never!

Neville, Harry, Hermione and Ron really had no idea what was coming for them- just look at them sitting there so innocently, breathing hard and thinking they were done!

Shisui knew better than to force them, though. He would just make them do half a lap every day. They would get curious soon enough- signing the devil's contract had to be done out of free will. Or at least, that was Shisui's experience with sports. People did not manage to preserve unless it was out of their own resolve.

One thing he does know for sure: Whatever is going to happen, it's going to be one hell of a ride.

* * *

Shisui slumps on the hard chair, pressing his cheek to the wooden surface of the library table. His head hurts and his hand is cramping, but he had done it. He had finally taken the time to research and sort out at least a small part of this gigantic mess.

Straightening up- ouch, that's his back making itself known- he goes over his notes again.

Yes, there was no doubt about it.

The propaganda about the Boy Who Lived was absolutely sickening. The Wix were a people who, without any logical explanation, believed that a baby, a child just a year old, was responsible for defeating Lord Voldemort, a terrorist extraordinaire.

However, ''Look underneath the underneath'' was not the shinobi motto for nothing. So Shisui watched.

The Wix were conditioned very thoroughly, was the conclusion. For example, The Witch trials. It scattered the Wix, made them so very afraid of everyone who was not one of them. Muggleborns were risks- they had families that were normal, and what if they chose _their_ side? It would end in the death of both the Muggleborn and the pureblood Wix. Didn't lessen the resentment towards Muggleborns, however, or stop the deep instilling of the fear of the unknown. It was not the earliest source, but definitely an important one.

The reason why this fear of the unknown led to such ridiculous beliefs was also clear- Magic was an unpredictable power. It could fit into the safe little box of the wizarding world for only a little while- spells were but a tiny fraction of the magic that existed out there. In order to move around in the Wizarding World and use advanced magic, or deal with the Auld Magic that had left traces of itself _everywhere_ , a Wix had no choice but adopt a less rigid mindset.

And lastly, propaganda like the Daily Prophet.

The press, Shisui had noticed, had almost unlimited power on the Wix of the United Kingdom. It was the sole thing binding the Wix together- the thing that made them a community as a whole, and not just little towns sprinkled all over the country who just so happened to go to the same school in Scotland.

If one did not have a subscription to the Prophet, they were completely cut off from the Wizarding World. They did not have a single idea of what was happening in their World if they didn't have the paper. There could be a war going on for all they knew, a mass murderer on the loose, and they wouldn't know until their corpses lay rotting underneath the fall leaves.

It was a terrifying reality- and one many had taken advantage of. Articles in the Prophet were often taken for the absolute truth because the Wix had no other source. And those who didn't actively search for other sources? Who didn't make the effort to check what was being said? Those became slaves to the word of the paper.

And Shisui, a wolf in both of his lives, knows very well that the majority of the population tends to be sheep.

…

Shisui is glad that the escapades of the first years have been stopped for the time being. If there is one thing he's absolutely certain about right now, it is that the Wix might just be crazy enough to do something as stupid as letting mass murderers into the school.

* * *

 **Authors note**

Hi, everyone!

It was quite some puzzling with the points of views and order of events in this chapter! Especially because it ties in with some pretty important character development for the group and certain individual characters in the next chapters!

I also was happy to get to work on this again- I managed to write half of it a week ago, but then I had to finish editing my Free! fic Sirensong (Yes, it's a merpeople AU- I can't resist writing about sirens) so I could post the last chapter. But fortunately, I finished Sirensong last night and had the time to write the rest of this chapter today!

The Hufflepuff's ruling the world through the hoarding of food is one of my personal headcanons that decided to make itself known through Shisui XD

Wix is a gender neutral term for both witches and wizards that I invented, but it goes a bit deeper than that. In the Harry Potter universe, they mostly seem to use ''wizard'' as an equivalent for the gender neutral form of ''man'' (as in mankind). However, I used the Witch trials in my explanation. Historically seen, witch was a gender neutral term too, not only meaning women in possession of magic, but also men. This situation gave me two technically gendered, but also technically gender neutral terms. Instead of choosing one and thereby constantly irking myself because it would either not fit the HP universe or dismiss the historically correct term, I chose to use an entirely new, truly gender neutral term.

I hope you liked it, and constructive criticism is always welcome!


	5. Chapter 5: Tentative Friends

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter and Naruto.

 **Chapter 5: Tentative Friends**

The days glide by, and slowly Neville, Harry, Ron, and Hermione get used to their routine. Waking at dawn, running and eventually, also meditating. Harry even convinces Shisui to get them started on the katas.

And then it happens. After finishing their daily morning kata, Shisui regards them, head cocked and stroking his chin. ''I think you're ready.''

Neville gulps. ''For what?''

Hermione nudges his foot in support.

Shisui grins. ''The armory!"

They blink. The what?

With a devilish wink, Shisui turns and calls over his shoulder: ''We'll collect you an hour after your classes finish. We know where to find you!''

* * *

Tugging her book bag's strap up her shoulder, Hermione frowns. ''Why are we going downstairs?''

Charlotte grins. ''To quote Shisui: ''You won't discover the armory in the armory gallery! These are Wix. They put the armory in the dungeons.''

''But that goes against the entire purpose of having an armory! If prisoners were kept in the dungeon and they managed to escape, they could easily grab them. It's not logical at all!''

Lillian follows them, watching the torchlight shading their features. Hmm… Maybe she'll draw them later.

''Exactly. And that is why you should always check, check and double check whatever anyone says. And if it's a Wix, do it thrice.''

Hermione nods enthusiastically. ''My parents taught me that!'' she frowns, ''Except the Wix part.''

Charlotte laughs. ''Well, they didn't know the Wix for long, so they probably haven't seen how bad it is yet. Even our books are full of drivel!''

Hermione's mouth falls open. ''But-''

She looks from her bookbag to Charlotte, like she couldn't decide which to believe.

Lillian stills at the movement.

Ah. That's the problem. Hermione had never doubted the written word, which was not surprising seeing her age. She was smart. Books must have been a safe place for her, escapism of harsh reality. That and the word of authority seemingly being the be all and end all must be the only constants she could find in this new world. Latching on to it, as a girl dedicated to her study, wasn't strange. But the ''authority'' questioning the written word?

That was a problem.

Lillian sighs. This is such a bummer to deal with too. Many their age struggle with similar problems but in different ways. Teenage hormones often cause them to defy authority, but _defying_ was not the same as _questioning_. And defying without questioning was useless.

Hermione did not defy, but she did not question either. And that was, in this case, an even bigger issue, an obstacle in the girl's personal growth.

Charlotte was going about it all wrong. She couldn't declare all the girl ever thought amiss. That is not the way to break another way of thinking to her.

She clears her throat. ''Charlotte thinks everything is drivel if it doesn't suit her. But she has a point. A little caution is never misplaced. We, Wix, are wonderful people, but magic is chaotic and sadly we have taken the same approach toward life. This doesn't help us scientifically, you can imagine.''

Hermione's eyes grow wide. ''Oh, that explains a lot.''

Lillian smiles. They would free the young Gryffindor from her own constrictions yet.

* * *

The armory is a place of _magic._

The ceiling is low compared to the rest of the castle, but even Oliver Wood, standing at two meters tall, can easily move around without fear of bumping his head. The weapon racks are endless. They split into four corridors on each side of the door. In the front, there is a ring.

''For training and mock battles,'' as Charlotte puts it.

Metal is at all sides, gleaming in the shadows. Axes, bows, swords, florets, knives and many more weapons Hermione can't name. There are towels on the benches around the ring and a few sweat-soaked pupils use them to sweep their brows. They drink greedily from their flasks, but Hermione only recognizes the Quidditch team members between them.

The door falls closed behind them. Hermione jumps. The boys' gasp.

''Merlin's beard!''

She whirls around, beaming. ''It's so big!''

They look around with wide eyes, before stilling. Did they just _agree_ on something?

It's odd, but not uncomfortable.

Shisui walks past them, throwing his robes onto the bench and unbuttoning his dress shirt. He starts stretching, clad in his tank top and school trousers.

Rolling his shoulders, he picks up a roll of… Are those throwing stars?

Shisui sees their furrowed brows. ''Shuriken. We'll begin with that for general aiming skills. We'll see if you're any good. But first?''

They sigh. ''Warming up.''

* * *

The armory is great, but that doesn't mean it goes easier than the running. With aching muscles and freshly bathed bodies they drag their legs over the benches at dinner that night. Silently they eat.

Tomorrow they'll complain and will be driven together by their common faux hatred of Shisui's training. But right now? There's only hunger, drooping eyes, and the warm body next to you to lean onto. This, the four of them, is okay now.

Are they friends?

Hermione doesn't know how to deal with that. She has never had friends before. But she's too tired to think about it and Neville's awkward posture assures her she isn't alone.

Together, they'll figure it out.


	6. Chapter 6: Newfound Talents

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter and Naruto

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Newfound Talents**

* * *

Christmas glides by without much notice. Shisui stays at school during the holidays- Christmas is a time to be together, so he's learned, and Hogwarts is a very warm and homey place compared to the empty room he's got in London.

He hands out presents, and from the yawning at breakfast, it's not hard to guess that Harry and Ron have been haunting the castle halls again. Shisui's not worried. Live and let live; a little adventure is good for everybody.

The enchanted wooden figures are received with cheer and Lillian adds both hers and Charlotte's to the collection they started on top of their closet with smile.

Harry and Neville cradle theirs like it's a treasure, and that… Kami. It chokes him up.

Weeks go by until they become months. The time for exams approaches.

* * *

''I can't anymore! Save me from the runes! They are evil! Pure evil, I say to you!'' Charlotte yells into the table, her upper body spread over it face-down. ''I am done!''

Hermione frowns as she chucks another shuriken into the target with a satisfying thud. Hmm… Almost point blank- her aim is getting good. Hopefully, it will translate to moving targets too. Shisui's been planning to start them on that soon. ''Why did you take the class, then?''

Shisui grins, waggling a finger. ''Because she thought it'd be easy. I warned her, but nooooooo. Charlotte does everything her own way.''

Charlotte jabs a nail at Shisui- or at least, that was her intention. She's pointing in the opposite direction. Laughter bubbles up in his throat.

''You're a wiseacre, Sui! That's not the only reason I chose it! Lillian's in that class too!''

''Oh, joy.'' Lillian mumbles as she steals Shisui's arithmancy textbook straight out of his hands.

''Hey! I wasn't done with that!'' …Lillian is getting dangerous. Getting the drop on a shinobi… Shisui has never felt for bloodlust like many of his fellow shinobi, but he _is_ a shinobi and what he calls ''only a little'' is an enormous amount to people who know war as the exception instead of the norm.

He _loves_ seeing his friends become dangerous. It feels like home, because home has always been about warmth, but steel and cut-throat edges are part of him in a way that never dulls. A way that will never stop mattering.

Knowing bloodlust might burn you out, but will also keep you alive when you're freezing and have nothing to believe in anymore… It's a desperate failsafe, one they will hopefully never need, but one he's glad they have anyway.

(Also, Charlotte beat David Gillian black and blue for flipping up her skirt last week. It was the greatest thing _ever)_

Neville huffs. ''It's way too warm down here.''

''Sui's been putting off talking to McGonagall about putting up the cooling charms.'' Charlotte throws a towel at him, and he begins wiping the sweat away. The others follow, drying off, putting the shuriken away and drinking greedily out of their bottles.

Shisui elbows her, before fishing his notes out of his bag.

Charlotte just sighs, waving with her book like it's a fan. ''Somebody wanna quiz me?''

Harry pops up. ''I'm done with my homework! Hermione helped me with potions!''

Smiling, Charlotte hands him the book. ''M'kay, little man! Dazzle me!''

* * *

''I am _dazzled_ , alright.''

''This one looks like my scar! And oooooh- look at that! Charlotte, this is awesome! It means sun! And the magical properties- wow!''

Honestly, Shisui feels for Charlotte. Runes remind him far too much of seals- and especially this one, very painful period in his life in which he tried to emulate the Yondaime _._ Seeing Yondaime's great seal work, it couldn't be excluded and had to be studied, of course. But sealing theory turned out to make zero sense, so after much inner-yelling, psyching himself up and trying again… He'd accepted there were some things he was simply terrible at.

Not even the greatest hero of all time doing it could change his mind. In fact, Namikaze Minato had probably become such a great hero because mastering seals alone was a nearly impossible thing to do.

…Even Shisui had heroes, and yes, maybe he didn't always think about them very logically, but hero worship was an enemy hard to beat (and so were seals, damn it!).

The point was: seals made his head hurt and while he was glad Itachi- Harry- was so enthusiastic about it, the way he picked it up so quickly was _madou._

Oh. Wait. That's right. School of wizardry. Black magic wasn't very far off.

Patting Harry on the back, he went back to his arithmancy notes. Kami bless numbers! At least those made sense!

* * *

 **Author's note**

Kami = deity

Madou = 魔道（まどう）madou- sorcery, magic, evil ways

Hi, guys!

Sorry for the long absence- I've been writing for this story, but I was stuck on this chapter for quite some time, so I let it rest for a while and worked on some events that will happen later in the story!


	7. Chapter 7: Everything Goes to Hell

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter and Naruto

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Everything Goes to Hell**

* * *

''Hurry up, Potter, I don't have all day!''

Harry flinches. ''Sorry, Mr. Filch.''

He just wanted to borrow Charlotte's runes textbook! How should he have known boys weren't allowed to enter the girl's dorms? …The stairs turning into a slide was really cool, though. He will have to ask Hermione about it after detention. Surely there must be something about it in _Hogwarts: A History_!

''Ah, Mr. Filch! If you d-don't mind, I'll ha-andle this.''

Filch squints. ''Are you certain, Professor Quirrell? If you're worried he's not bein' punished hard enough, I could get the thumb screws… I've got 'em well-oiled in my office… Just offering…''

''That, eh, w-won't be n-necessary, Mr. F-Filch.''

Harry lets out a deep breath, slumping in relief. The halls are deserted, but for him and Quirrell now, but- oh. There's a foot visible there, the invisibility cloak not completely covering those underneath it. He bites his lip in order not to laugh. He takes a quick look at the Professor, but Quirrell seems to be walking ahead in a brisk pace, not looking sideways, so… It's worth the risk.

Waving to Neville and Ron, on their way back from a trip to the kitchen, Harry quickly trails after Professor Quirrell. They enter the staircases, waiting patiently for the stairs to arrive at their destination. It's already dark out, and at this hour, only the flickering of the torches on each floor are visible, throwing large, dancing shadows onto the walls and ground. It's haunting, almost, and Harry is definitely grateful there are no ghosts flying around at the moment. He shivers as the stairs bump against the wall, jostling him as they slot into place.

He tilts his head, staring into the hallway before them, narrowing his eyes. It's rather dark, the torches up front not lit, unlike the other floors.

With a sharp breath, he takes a step back. He recognizes this place. ''Professor Quirrell? What are we doing on the third floor?''

The Professor pats his shoulder, ''Well, H-Harry, the reason this floor is so dangerous is because it's m-my e-exam room. I pre-prepared a parkours for all years d-down here. If you'd p-please test it out for me.''

Harry stares down at his shoes. Is the Professor really giving him such an important job? But what- what if he can't do it? The thought grabs him by the throat. ''…Is it only for first years, professor?'' wringing his hands in front of him, he can't help but ask the question.

The Professor shakes his head. ''B-but don't worry, Harry. J-just do what you can. Any ex-extra pairs of e-eyes helps.''

Harry bites his lips, but nods.

* * *

Harry still can't believe this is actually happening. The three-headed dog he, Neville, Ron and Hermione discovered before is actually part of Professor Quirrell's parkours! What is even more awesome is how the other teachers clearly aided the Professor in building it, showing how each course has something that has value for defence against the dark arts. Neville would surely freak about the Devil's Snare!

Harry personally loved the Third year's test the best: the Professor had actually let him try to capture the key with a broom, seeing as he didn't have the correct spell knowledge yet to capture it without. It'd been so much fun! Ron would probably think the same of the life-sized chessboard designed by Professor McGonagall.

The troll after had been less fun, but Professor Quirrell had quickly taken care of that since it was a fifth-year test for something he called OWLs, so Harry hadn't been all too worried, even if it was a right fright seeing the horrid monster again. After that was a riddle, which the Professor had taken care off too. It had been kind of strange, how Professor Quirrell had had to solve the riddle himself, but apparently, Snape had written it for him, and this was the perfect chance to test it.

Now, to enter the last room…

…That was strange. Why was there only a mirror in the last room?

* * *

''Shisui, Shisui!'' Shisui's up and out of bed even before Neville throws the door to his dorm open. Wood, the next bed over, makes a disgruntled sound, but turns over and gets back to sleep. Everybody's used to this by now, if not quite at this volume. Shisui's brats come to visit often.

…Shisui doesn't like that note of panic in Neville's voice, though. Hackles raised, guard up, he herds the boy into the hallway, still dressed in his blue-white striped pyjamas and elf sleeping cap. The stone floor is cold to his bare feet, but he'd rather hear what's going on quickly than go back for his fuzzy slippers.

He rubs his hands together, trying to work out the chill that's seeping into him now he left the warm nest of blankets in his bed. But never mind the chill, Neville's breathing fast. Neville's stopped doing that until his third lap around the lake lately, so he must've been running for a long time now, and that is under no circumstance a good sign at this hour. ''Nev?''

The boy bites on his lip. ''Harry was supposed to be back two hours ago. I went to Professor McGonagall, but she ran off before I could finish! I know we weren't supposed to be out, but… Ron and I saw him walk away with Professor Quirrell, not Mr Filch! And now McGonagall's gone, and I don't know what to do!''

''Son of a _bitch,''_ Shisui swallows hard. Quirrell must be either a paedophile or a Death Eater. Harry's life is in danger. ''Stay here, Neville. I'll handle this.''

And with that, he slides his wand out of its holster and taps his sleeping cap. Blue sparkles rain down on his pyjamas, melting them away into his emergency school uniform. He runs back into the room, jams some throw stars into his pockets, checks his wand holster and begins to run.

Neville stays behind in the hallway, small and lost, but Shisui doesn't look back. He has a child to save.

* * *

The defence classroom is the first stop, in case this is an innocent endeavour after all, but the room is gaping and empty, and Shisui's heartbeat is so incredibly loud in his ears that he can scarcely hear anything else. The only thing that exists in the world right now is Itachi- Itachi, dying again. Itachi, utterly defenceless and small.

No matter what training Shisui gave him, he is still a child, still a civilian, so far from a shinobi he'll never be able to fight off an adult man.

He clenches his fist. He's got to keep his head cool, or nothing will be accomplished, and Itachi- Harry- will be lost for sure.

If he were a Death Eater (or, god forbid, a paedophile, though that would make less sense as there are children much easier to miss than Harry, famous and all. But that same fame could attract unwished attention, and Shisui _fears_ ) where would he go?

Perhaps the astronomy tower? No, that would never look like an accident, and it's insight of far too many places besides. It should be a place where nobody comes, at night, as well day. If this is a murder attempt, Quirrell would like it to go unnoticed for as long as possible. One of the hidden rooms? No, no, not when there is a whole floor restricted- but wouldn't that be too obvious?

...Then again, these people aren't shinobi. They're Wix.

Cursing, he takes his wand out of its holster and runs like the devil is on his heels.


End file.
